U.S., Middle East publics less concerned about climate change than those in other nations

The UN Climate Change Conference convened today in Warsaw with a call for governments to “harness” what it called a “strong groundswell of action” to reach an agreement to cut greenhouse gas emissions. The talks begin against a public opinion backdrop in which fewer Americans see global climate change as a major threat than do people in most other regions.

While a Pew Research Survey last month found 67% of Americans believe there is solid evidence of global warming and 44% of them blame it on human activity, a global survey of 39 nations last spring found that 40% of Americans regarded global climate change as a major threat to the U.S.

By contrast, a median of 54% or more of publics in Canada, Europe, the Asia Pacific, Latin America and Africa saw global warming as a major threat to their countries. Concern was highest in Latin America (65%) and the Asian Pacific (56%). An opening statement at the Warsaw climate conference took particular note of the deadly typhoon that this weekend left many part of the Philippines devastated. Nearly two-thirds in the Philippines (66%) said climate change was a top concern in the spring survey.

The only region in the spring survey where public concern about climate change as a danger was as low as in the U.S. was the Middle East (42%).

In Pew Research’s annual survey in January on the public’s priorities for this year, just 28% cited the need to deal with global warming, putting it at the bottom of the list. Another survey in February found that 34% said it was “essential” for the president and Congress to enact new climate change policies this year while 39% said it could be done in the next few years. About one-fifth (19%) said new climate policies should not be enacted at all.

A Gallup poll conducted in January produced similar findings, although its question was a different one. Asked how much of a priority those surveyed put on enacting “a law increasing government spending to find ways to reduce the effects of climate change,” 22% said it was a top priority, 28% said it was an important priority but not a top one, and 49% responded that it was not an important priority.

When Americans were asked a question in a September survey about a specific policy involving global warming — as opposed to how high they rank it as an overall concern — a big majority (65%) backed putting limits on greenhouse gas emissions from power plants.

About Pew Research Center Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts.